Shakira

With her effervescent persona, bold vocal stylings, and gyrating hips that seemingly defied the laws of physics, Latin pop sensation Shakira burst onto the international music scene in the late 1990s...
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Superstar Shakira has beaten her pop pal Rihanna to become the most-liked person on Facebook.com. The Hips Don't Lie hitmaker has amassed 86.6 million followers, trumping Rihanna's 86.3 million to take the popularity title.
Reacting to the exciting news on Facebook, the singer wrote, "Wow... I was just told I now have the most-followed page on Facebook in the world! I still cannot believe it!
"I always wanted to have a lot of friends but never imagined it would be so many...86m! So humbled, can't thank you guys enough for your support. I feel so fortunate to have you. Giant kiss! Forever thankful, Shak".
The news comes just weeks after the pop stars teamed up for sexy duet Can't Remember to Forget You.

Shakira feared fans would label her a "paedophile" when she began dating a man 10 years younger than her. The Hips Don't Lie singer met soccer star Gerard Pique in 2010 while shooting the music video for her soccer World Cup single, Waka Waka (This Time for Africa). They began dating and are now parents to a son named Milan.
Shakira now admits she was concerned about the 10-year age gap between them at the beginning of their romance and has written a song called 23 about Pique's age when they first met.
She tells Britain's The Sun, "It took me so many years to get to where I am in my life now. I wasn't fulfilled or satisfied and I think Gerard was the missing link. And as the song says, he was only 23 when I met him and I was concerned about the age gap as I was 33, but I'm no paedophile."

Colombian pop superstar Shakira is set to show off her famous dance moves in a new advertisement for probiotic yogurt brand Activia. The Hips Don't Lie hitmaker, who is known for her sexy stage routines, has partnered with bosses at The Dannon Company to front its Dare to Feel Good campaign, which features the slogan, "Feeling Good Starts from the Inside".
Jeffrey Rothman, the firm's vice president of marketing, says, "This new campaign demonstrates the connection between how you feel when your digestive system is working well and your overall well-being.
"Like no one else in the world, Shakira's performance illustrates how feeling good on the inside can help you feel wonderful overall."
The new Activia commercial features the singer dancing in an enchanted forest to her track Dare (La La La).
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis is also a spokesperson for Activia.

Coldplay star Chris Martin is to appear as a guest mentor in the current season of American TV talent show The Voice. The singer will assist all four coaches during the singing competition, beginning 31 March (14).
Martin, who was rumoured to have been in talks to replace Keith Urban on The Voice Australia, will join Miranda Lambert, Aloe Blacc, Jill Scott and The Band Perry among the guest mentors for this season.
The guest stars join coaches Blake Shelton, Usher, Shakira and Adam Levine.

Singer Shakira is convinced her latest school project in her native Colombia has turned around the fortunes of the local community after opening last month (Feb14). The Hips Don't Lie hitmaker launched the facility in Cartagena in February (14) with funding from her Barefoot Foundation education charity. The school has the capacity for 1,700 students and features a library, gym and sports area.
Shakira now claims the school has transformed the impoverished area and reduced the number of gangs in the neighbourhood.
She tells Britain's Radar magazine, "It's already having an enormous social impact on the area. Before this school, there were no paved roads, or potable water, or electricity. And now all of this has changed...
"It was recently reported that the gangs that used to hang in this area have dissolved completely since the school was was built. So that is the kind of social impact that these kind of projects have. And that is why I vehemently and passionately advocate for education and for the construction of schools that are state-of-the-art - and that are open to the community. That is the whole philosophy that we have in our foundation."

Shakira has been banned from filming raunchy videos with men by her soccer star boyfriend. The pop star joked about Gerard Pique's relationship rule after her racy new promo with Rihanna made headlines and upset officials in her native Colombia, but now she admits the sportsman really has urged her not to get sexy with other men on film.
She tells Billboard.com, "He's very territorial, and since he no longer lets me do videos with men, well, I have to do them with women.
"It's more than implied in our relationship that I can't do videos like I used to. It's out of the question - which I like, by the way. I like that he protects his turf and he values me, in a way that the only person that he would ever let graze my thigh would be Rihanna."
In her new video with Rihanna, the two pop stars role around in lingerie on a bed.
One politician in Colombia has called for a ban on the promo for Can't Remember to Forget You because he feels it promotes lesbianism.
Last month (Feb14), Bogota's Marco Fidel Ramirez urged bosses at Colombia's National Television Authority to ban the video, stating, "It is a shameless case for lesbianism and immorality. It is a danger to children. It sends a provocative message to weak people who can be polluted and induced to practice (lesbianism)."

"If it weren't because of my music projects, I would be pregnant already. I would love to have eight or nine kids with Gerard - my own futbol (soccer) team." Shakira has had to postpone plans to expand her family with her soccer star boyfriend Gerard Pique to work on her new album. The stars are parents to son Milan, 13 months.

"I used to go in circles around an idea, but since he arrived I don't have much time - I have to rush back home - so he has helped me learn how to focus." Superstar Shakira credits her baby son Milan with helping her become more decisive.

Singer Shakira has taken aim at a politician in her native Colombia who called for a ban on the video for her new Rihanna collaboration because it promoted lesbianism. Earlier this month (Feb14), Bogota's Marco Fidel Ramirez urged bosses at Colombia's National Television Authority to ban the Can't Remember to Forget You promo because it featured scenes of the topless singers rolling around provocatively on a bed wearing skimpy lingerie.
Expressing his concern on Twitter.com, Ramirez wrote, "Shakira's new video is a shameless case for lesbianism and immorality. It is a danger to children. It sends a provocative message to weak people who can be polluted and induced to practice (lesbianism)."
On Monday (24Feb14), the Hips Don't Lie singer responded to Ramirez's remarks, joking that she has to make saucy videos with women because her boyfriend, soccer star Gerard Pique "doesn't let me do videos with men anymore".
She then suggested that Ramirez should spend his time fixing Colombia's problems and not arguing about the morality of pop promos.
She added, "In a country like ours where there are so many needs: a health system that needs to be improved, an education system that needs to be expanded, employment that needs to be generated - for a councilman to use his voice and his time to talk about a video by an artist like me means we're not doing too well councilman-wise, right?"

Singer Shakira headed to her native Colombia on Monday (24Feb14) to open a school funded by her Barefoot Foundation education charity. The Hips Don't Lie hitmaker laid the first brick of the construction project in 2011 and the school is now ready for classes, which will begin in March (14).
She formally opened the school - the sixth she has built with her charity - along with her 13-month-old son Milan.
The school has a capacity of 1,700 students and features 49 classrooms, a library, auditorium and sports area. It was funded by $7.8 million (£4.8 million) in donations from the Foundation's 'Buy a Brick' initiative.

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Summary

With her effervescent persona, bold vocal stylings, and gyrating hips that seemingly defied the laws of physics, Latin pop sensation Shakira burst onto the international music scene in the late 1990s to become one of the most successful musical acts in history. Undeniably talented and unswervingly determined, she signed her first recording contract at the age of 13. After her first two albums performed poorly outside her native Columbia, Shakira took a firmer hand in the production and direction of subsequent efforts, infusing her music with a rock sensibility and the Arabic rhythms that had influenced her in her youth. It was a bold decision that paid off handsomely with the release and chart-topping domination of hit singles like "Ojos Así" and "Hips Don't Lie." While the former song would earn Shakira a Latin Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, the latter broke a record for the most airplay during a single week in the history of American radio. By the end of the first decade of the 21st century, the entertainer was one of the top-earning women in music and a featured performer at the inauguration of President Barack Obama. As a singer, songwriter, dancer, producer, philanthropist and even judge on "The Voice" (NBC, 2011- ), Shakira consistently exceeded expectations in a career that endeared her to legions of fans from every corner of the globe.